nursery times
From Habitat plus - kids' spaces
When you're thinking about decorating a nursery it's generally a very exciting time in your life – so let your imagination run wild.
Gone are the days when we felt confined to strict colour-codes for baby girls and baby boys so free yourself up and opt for a palette of your favourite colours. Remember the nursery should be a restful place for the baby, but it's also a place you are going to spend a fair amount of time in, so make it a creative and restful place for you too.
Did you know?
Newborns can see only in black and white. While it doesn't last for long, this nursery can definitely be seen by all ages. The beautifully bold monochromatic colour scheme in Resene Black and Resene Alabaster has been given an extra sweet twist with pale aqua accents in Resene Riptide.
Top tip: Since you can never have enough storage in a nursery, paint a few wooden boxes to slide under the cot to keep toys and other belongings organised.
A rosy outlook
Create a soft yet sophisticated nursery that will not feel babyish when your child grows older by adding wall panelling in an unexpected way. An asymmetrical pattern painted in Resene Cashmere creates a modern look when paired with Resene Olive Green accents on the cot. Add some personal touches by creating a mobile using testpots or any A4 drawdown paint swatches left over from choosing your wall colour. Simply cut your drawdowns into organic shapes, hole punch a hole and string them up – voilà!
Sweet and simple
This serene neutral nursery shies away from gendered colours completely with a soothing combination of Resene Westar on the floor and upper walls with Resene Quarter Merino on the lower section of the walls. The wooden decorations on the left wall have been painted in Resene Westar and Resene Romantic.
Rain or shine
No matter what the weather, this nursery looks soft and serene thanks to its muted colour palette. Wall in Resene Thorndon Cream with handpainted cloud shapes in Resene Eighth Thorndon Cream, floor and shelf in Resene Thor, table in Resene Laser and vases, pots, rainbow stacking toy and mobile in Resene Vintage, Resene Just Right, Resene Laser, Resene Thor, Resene Undercurrent and Resene Safehaven (try Resene Streetwise).
Learn how to make this DIY cloud mobile and other kid-friendly paint projects at www.habitatbyresene.com/habitat-tv.
Sweet and simple
Rain or shine
Twinkle twinkle
Is there anything more soothing than the gentle glow of starlight? There's comfort in the constancy of star constellations, making them the perfect inspiration for a calm, serene nursery. Resene FX Nightlight glow-in-the-dark paint brings Matariki star cluster or Messier Object 45 (M45), to life. Known as the Pleiades in Ancient Greek mythology, the cluster also appears in one of the most wellknown Aboriginal tales, The Star Dreaming Story of the Seven Sisters. In Aotearoa, the stars are Matariki, and their appearance signals the beginning of Maori New Year, a time of harvest and celebration. The feature wall in Resene Warrior creates an inky evening background for the hand-painted Matariki and Southern Cross in Resene Black White, with an added dash of Resene FX Nightlight for a glow-in-the-dark effect.
Mobile: Kites or manu tukutuku were traditionally used by Maori to symbolise the start of Matariki. Create this kite mobile by cutting 12 kites and tie shapes in thick paper or card (see the template online) and paint in your favourite galactic colours – we used Resene Reservoir, Resene Half Jumbo and Resene Black White. Use a strong glue to attach to strings and tie to a macrame hoop.
updated July 2021
Habitat plus - kids' spaces